Stella Artois is history. History in its making, and also history in the making. Pretty much the same can be said about their commercials, which never fail to communicate emotion and then instantly pinch you with a subtle bit of humor.

And now, this. This, my friends, is the best advertising/web experience that could ever be produced for Stella Artois. It sticks to brand personality like a baby to a teat, or a man and his beer. It is called "Le Défi" (french for ze challenge). And it's from Canada! Yay.

What it is: Stella Artois once again draws the consumer within a strange universe, this time on the worldwide web.You - and a friend whom you might challenge - will have to unravel the secrets behind a mechanical contraption, some sort of gauntlet. There are many challenges to take part in, all of which require quick thinking - as time of the essence. To the victor, a chalice of Stella Artois, paid by the loser. Of course its all a tacit bet, but still an interesting one. The whole ensemble is well narrated by a mysterious voice, and the overall "steam era" look and feel is quite a success.

The whole campaign was devised by Stella's Canadian agency Lowe Roche Toronto, whom haven't feared to put top dollar for their accompanying ambient outdoor media (thanks to Glossy for the pictures):

This is the kind of experience that should be lesson 101 in contemporary branding for announcers. Create a plausible universe for a brand, and bring the consumer to experience it. Nothing new, of course. I just don't see it applied everywhere so effectively.This is just stunning, and certainly generates a lot of word of mouth. (Thanks, Glossy!)